


Card Store

by leroybrown



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Boop how do I tag this?, Card shop AU, M/M, Minor character mentions, Polyamorous relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-13
Updated: 2013-05-13
Packaged: 2017-12-11 18:27:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/801789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leroybrown/pseuds/leroybrown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat Vantas runs a independent card store for all occasions, which is about a block away from John Egbert's house. One day they cross paths when John visits the store in search for a few birthday cards. How close will they grow as friends and will they ever be something more?</p><p>(Ha! Of course they will because it's my story! I wrote this for a fic exchange with a good friend of mine. I'd like for this to be an AU eventually with more characters included and it being based around Karkat's store but we'll see where this goes first.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Birthday Cards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! First story being submitted here! Whoop! I'm REALLY new to posting on here so if I mess up and somehow post 50 of the same chapter you'll know why...
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this as part of a fic exchange with my best gal Danni~ I've already wrote out all three chapters so this is going to be updated super quick. Enjoy!

The bell chimes as you walk through the door, signalling your arrival. Except there’s no one inside but the clerk at the desk to notice you and the clerk clearly didn’t care. He takes a quick glance up from the magazine he’s reading and moves his eyes back down to scan the current page.

You’re in the card store. Just the little independent store about a block away from your house. It’s the end of November and it’s chilly outside which means it’s getting close to your good friends' birthdays. Dave, Rose and Jade to be exact.

You’re the odd one out with your birthday falling on April. Regardless of that, your pals still send you a card. So that’s why you’re at the shop to return the goodwill gesture.

Even though the space inside the building was small, the owner certainly didn’t miss a single spot in the room to cram with cards and gift essentials. Three walls all lined with shelves of cards for every occasion along with rows of shelves down the middle of the room. 

You peer over a shelf marked “Funnies”. They are indeed laugh-worthy. You pick up a card with a wiener dog on it that has “I love tiny wieners” written above it. If only it said happy birthday somewhere on it then it would’ve been perfectly ironic for Dave…you think.  
  
Moving away from the jokey cards, you shuffle over to the birthday section to get what you originally came for. A simple lilac card with swirly writing and a little kitten curled up in the corner was perfect for Rose. You know she’ll appreciate the elegance and the formality of the “Best wishes on your day of birth” which was the message on the front. For Jade you pick up a colourful squiddles card with a larger squiddle in the middle holding up a note saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY in bold, green letters.  
  
Next was Dave. You had thought about getting him some rad skateboarding card with some dude on the front being all “hot shit” but you think again when you look at the aged birthday cards. A Disney princess card with a big number 3 on it should do nicely. You really don’t get irony.  
  
You collect the envelopes for each card and saunter back over to the front of the store where the counter is. After placing them on the top of the glass, you wait patiently for the cashier to pay attention. He looks bored and ever so grumpy. Oh. Oh right. You haven’t even spoken to him yet. Maybe you should politely get his attention.  
  
You try clearing your throat a few times but he’s far too indulged in the magazine horoscopes. So you decide to speak up.

“I’d…err like to buy these please.” You jump a little when the cashier’s head shoots up and his dark brown eyes lock with yours.

“So?” Well that wasn’t the reply you were hoping for.

“W-well, I’m in your shop. I’m a customer. You work here. I want to buy these cards for my friends. See where I’m going with this man?”

“Don’t get fucking smart with me you little shit. If you didn’t read the sign on the door, I’m on break so fucking deal with it.”  
  
You laugh off his insults, just like your dad taught you to do. Life is too short to argue with sour people. “Whoa buddy, all I’m trying to do-”

“All _I’m_ trying to do is get you to leave. Don’t call me buddy. What do you think this is? Strangers make piss-poor attempts at becoming friends with Karkat day?”

“Gosh, sure we can be friends. Hi Karkat. I’m John!” you say as you grin at him, showing all teeth. You swear a vein on his forehead just popped.

“Like I give a fuck. Look, if I scan you these things will you just go away?”

“Deal.” He takes the cards from the counter.

As the cashier, or Karkat as you just found out, fiddles around with the register you get the chance to take a good look at him. You’ve already seen the brown eyes obviously, and the dark messy brown hair to match. He’s short, a few good inches shorter than you anyway, and rather thin. It shows in his slender hands and how the angles of his jaw are sharp. No visible piercings or tattoos, clear and flawless skin. God, this guy is gorgeous. What is he doing working in a card shop? He should be a model.

“What?”  
  
”I said it’s $4.13…all together?” You stare at him some more before saying anything.  
  
”Right. One second,” you say as you dig your hand into your jeans pocket and pull out five dollars.  
  
”Here.” You snatch the cards up and place the bill on the counter. Your gaze lingers on his a little longer than necessary. “Keep the change, Karkat.” And then you begin to exit the store.  
  
You pause at the door and look over your shoulder to inspect him one last time. You know he was checking out your ass. You watch as he quickly snaps his head down and tries to shove the money into the closed cash register, all while mumbling to himself.  
  
You begin to wonder when you’ll next need to buy some cards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What didya think? Any good? Lemme know what you think's gonna happen next perhaps uvu <33


	2. Christmas Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tis' the season to visit the card store again for last minute shopping. Maybe to see that cute guy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, super quick updates. I'm probably going to finish this fic today actually. How lucky are you guys?!  
> Anyway, Christmas time equals the purchasing of holiday cards. Take my shoddy work at pretending to type with American spelling alternatives and just read it. Urghhh

Christmas isn’t far away now and you’re behind on wrapping a ton of presents. Furthermore you haven’t even sent out your holiday cards yet. This will not do. But today you’re excited because today you’re going to finally buy some. Meaning today is the day you can go back to the card store to see Karkat again with a legitimate excuse…so you don’t look like a stalker. Hopefully it’s his shift today.  
  
You walk to the end of the street and come face to face with the Oh so lovable store. The window is dressed up with tinsel and fake snow and large presents with cards standing on top. You walk through the door and shake all the snow off of you onto the nice clean floor. You pull your most cheesy grin that you can manage and look up, expecting a whole bunch of swearing screamed at your general direction, only to be presented with the sight of a tall-ish hipster man gaping at you in mid tap at his iphone.  
  
”Wwhat the fuckin’ hell? I just cleaned that floor!” his accent made it ten times funnier. You try to stifle back a chuckle at what just took place. So it wasn’t Karkat but you still received minor verbal abuse. It'll do.  
  
You step to the side and loose your footing, ending up on the wet floor in a fit of laughter.  
  
”Kar! I think your not-boyfriend that you wwon’t stop talkin’ to me about is here!” the hipster man shouts towards the back of the store. You try to pipe down your giggles as Karkat jogs over to the both of you.

“Shut the fuck up, Eridan.” Karkat hisses at the man and he snorts back at him.  
  
”Wwell, I’ll leavve you twwo alone then.” And with that said, Eridan grabs his bag from behind the counter and carefully makes a bee-line to the door, avoiding the puddles of melted snow.  
  
”Where are you going? Your shift doesn’t end until another 20 minutes,” Karkat exclaims. Meanwhile you’re still on the floor, watching all of this.  
  
”I’m goin’ to meet Fef and Sol. That a problem?”  
  
”Yes it’s a problem. You can’t just push aside your job for your fucked up polyamorous relationship. What’s wrong? Being monogamous too mainstream for you?”  
  
”It’s 20 fuckin’ minutes Kar. Stop being an asshole.”  
  
”Douche bag. Since I’m such a nice person I’ll let this one slide.”  
  
”Oh yeah. Such a nice person that you’vve left your customer-crush in a puddle on the floor this wwhole time!”  
  
”He’s not my-“ and Karkat turns around to look down at you. In a swift motion, Eridan pushes the door and he’s gone.  
  
”God-fucking-dammit!”

Karkat offers you a hand and you take it. Then he goes back to stocking shelves, avoiding eye contact pretty obviously, and you watch as he leaves you. “Hurry up and get what shit you need because I’m closing for lunch soon!” he calls over to you.  
  
So you do. A card each for your friends, a card for your dad, one for your nanna and then you pause. You shift your eyes to watch Karkat unpacking a box of engagement cards. As far as you’re aware he doesn’t seem to be in any sort of relationship. You watch as he sighs to himself and places the last lot of cards on the shelf. You know yourself it’s lonely when you don’t have someone to be with at Christmas time. What you’d give to even move back in with your dad at this stage. But more than anything you want that special someone to have cuddle times with and you know…holiday sex or whatever. Kissing under the mistletoe and all that junk. You imagine Karkat probably wants the same. Maybe.  
  
After picking up an extra card and quickly scribbling on it with a pen you found lying around, you hurry over to the front desk and wait for Karkat.  
  
”Got what you need?” he shouts from his position on the floor, opening the next lot of stock.  
  
”Uhh yeah?”  
  
”How much does it come to?” he continues to shout and makes no attempts to move.  
  
”Six dollars!”  
  
”Okay. Leave it on the counter.”  
  
”Are you sure?”  
  
”Yes I’m fucking sure. Fuck. Yeah, that’s fine. Bye John.” He remembered your name.  
  
”See you later Karkat. Merry Christmas!”

[KARKAT’S POV]  
  
You unpack a few more boxes of cards for about 15 minutes after John left and your stomach starts to rumble. Oh yeah, that’s right food. You completely forgot about your lunch break.  
  
You go to the front of the store and decide that the money he left will be enough to buy a subway meal deal. And a coffee. You could really do with some caffeine right now. You collect the change but notice a single blue envelope, addressed to you, perched against the side of the register.

“Fucking idiot bought me a card from my own shop. Who the hell even does that?” you mumble to yourself, still slightly dumfounded that the guy you met about two weeks ago and twice all together AND lets not forget the only information you know about each other is your first names, wrote you a christmas card. At least you know he’s thoughtful now.  
  
You use the box opener that you left to one side to tear the envelope open and pull the card out. It’s the card with the two penguins holding hands in the winter snow. Cute. You open it up and read the chunky scrawl inside.  
  
 **to karkat**  
  
 **happy holidays! i’m saying that because i don’t know what your religious beliefs are. so anyway, you’re cool and really um lovely and i want to get to know you some more if that’s okay. and even if you try to push me away, i’ll just keep coming back to buy more cards I guess. unless you move stores. but i’m sure you wanna get to know me too from what your friend eri-daniel (is that what he’s called???) said. i also don’t want us both to be really really lonely at christmas so here’s my number if you want to call me sometime: 0457868903**

**or you don’t have to but the option is there. i also own some really awesome movies that i’m sure you’d love to watch with me maybe. i bet i sound like a huge stalker-murderer that wants to know everything about you and then when you’re least expecting it, kill you dramatically and take your identity but i won’t do that i promise! …what am i saying?**  
  
 **lots of love and holiday spirit,**  
  
 **john egbert (the nerdy looking guy who keeps coming to your card shop)**

You smile to yourself and open up your phone, putting John’s number inside. Arranging a movie date sounds fucking wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to gooooo. I forgot to apologise that these are so short so I'm sorry for that. I lack the imagination to write more for a multi-chaptered story. You'd just end up with gaps that don't make sense ahaha! I might make a longer sequel or something but we'll see. Next chapter's going up now yo'
> 
> EDIT: No that is not a real number. I made it up omg


	3. Valentine's Cards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter guys. I ALMOST just deleted this story by accident. Goddammit, I told you I'm not used to this! Anywaaaay, last chapter. Valentine's day. Jump-to-conclusions-jealousy Karkat in this chap. Poor babbu c:

_~Two months later~_

Valentine’s day is tomorrow and the amount of times you’ve had to restock the cards is really starting to piss you off. It feels like the whole world has someone to be with but you. Not ONE person has asked you out on a Valentine’s date. Not even Eridan and you thought he’d be all over that, dating three people or whatever. You’re just not in the mood right now for lovey-dovey shit. Cupid can just fly the fuck off.  
  
You look at the clock and notice that it’s almost 11am. John should be arriving any minute now. Since he gave you the offer to hang out with him about two months ago, along with his number in that card, the two of you have been hanging out ever since. He was right about the movie thing. You both share a love for cinema. But when you’re not vegging out at each other’s houses or having movie marathons, you still have a store to run.

So whenever you’re working, John visits the card shop around eleven. His reasoning is that you can have an hour to talk to each other and make fun at snooty customers behind their backs then go get a bite to eat when it’s your lunch break.

The clock beeps and the bell above the door chimes simultaneously. You smirk at his persistence to be right on time. You raise your hand in a greeting and he walks straight past you. He doesn’t even drop his bag in its usual spot.

“Where the fuck are you going? Don’t tell me you’re actually going to buy something for once?” you holler over to him and mock gasp as he’s peering over a set of shelves.

“As a matter of fact, yes. I need a Valentine’s card.” This throws your snarky confidence off the rails. You don’t even need to look in a mirror to tell your face suddenly dropped.  
  
When you don’t reply he whines at you. “Karkaaaat! I need your help! Mr Manager! Your customer needs help!”  
  
”Egbert you shitstain, I’m not going to help you pick out a Valentine’s card. It’ll have no meaning to the person you’re giving it to if you don’t pick it out yourself,” you explain as you try hide the fact you’re picking up the pieces of your shattered heart. Such a fucking drama queen.

“Gosh! Such a romantic!” he laughs at you and you flip him the bird.

You wait another five minutes before he starts whining at you again. “Pleeeease help me. Just give me an idea. I don’t know, what do you like on a card?”  
  
”Anything but red.”  
  
”Why red?”  
  
”I just don’t like red. I don’t see how that even matters.”  
  
”Pink?”

“For the love of god. On the bottom left of the end shelf there’s a card with a cat giving another cat a flower. That’s the card I’d want to receive if someone was giving me a fucking Valentine’s card okay?!” you snap at him and bury your head in your hands on the counter.  
  
”Man, you really put some thought into that didn’t you? It looks really cute. I’m gonna go for it,” he says and you internally scream. John’s buying the card you want him to give _you_ but for someone else. Probably some bitch he met at the bar. Probably his long distance girlfriend that he never told you about. This is officially your worst day ever.

He gets back to the counter and gives you the card. You scan it and collect his change and go back to resting your head in your hands.  
  
”Can I borrow a pen? I need to write on this a fast as possible.”  
  
You give him one of the pens lying around and he begins scribbling in the card. You can’t see whom he’s writing it to because he’s leant over it but you’re one hundred percent certain you wouldn’t want to know anyway. He signs it, seals it and leaves it on the counter as he replies to a text. He lightly chuckles at the text and puts his phone away to run his fingers through his messy mop he calls hair.  
  
”So yeah. I have a date tonight,” he confirms and your stomach drops. It’s even worse of heartbreak when John says it himself. Okay so it can’t be the long distance girlfriend, he must be seeing the bitch at the bar. That’s probably where they’re having their date too. He was probably drowned in shots to realise the girl’s not very attractive or something. You don’t care. You can be as jealous as you fucking want.  
  
”With who?” You still want to know exactly who this bitch is though.  
  
He pushes the card on the counter with his finger so it slides a little closer to you.  
  
”Well if you’d open your card you’ll find out that it’s you, Karkat.”

Oh shit. What. It’s _you._ IT’S YOU, YOU FUCKING BAG OF DICKS. HE’S ASKING YOU OUT.  
  
”I-err. Fuck. What? W-what the fuck John? I-“  
  
He cups a hand over his mouth and points down to the card. “Pssst now’s your cue to open it!” he whispers to you childishly.

So you open it.  
  
 **to karkat vantas who i met in this store**

**if i bought you all the cards in the world, i’d still want to give you more**

**okay so i’m not a huge romantic sap like you, you see**

**but in the simplest way that i can say is will you be with me?**

**i know we haven’t know each other that long but getting to know each other takes time**

**jesus i suck at poems, what i’m trying to say is will you be my valentine? (p.s please say yes because i’ve already made reservations for the restaurant i’m taking you to later)**

**...i’m in love with you.**

**from,**

**john egbert**

You reach over the counter to grab him and you kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. End. Hope you enjoyed my attempts at writing fluffy johnkat for ya'll. Buh-bye! <3


End file.
